Gage Park Baptist Church E*Murmurings [email protected] An American Baptist Church www.gpbctopeka.org February 2010 Come as you are… Let Jesus show you what you can be! At A Glance • Tuesday, February 2 Groundhog Day • Sunday, February 7 12:00 pm - “Souper” Bowl Sunday • Thursday, February 11 9:30 am - ABW meets • Sunday, February 14 Happy Valentine’s Day! • Monday, February 15 7:00 pm - Executive Board meeting President’s Day • Wednesday, February 24 11:00 am to 1:30 pm Operation Soup Line at Expocenter Ag Hall Highlights Spotlight Story 1 Coming Events 2 Announcements 3 Celebrate History 4 A Look Ahead 5 IS THE H1N1 SWINE FLU VACCINE SAFE? By Daniel J. DeNoon, WebMD H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Safety: Hype, Myths, and Facts What do we really know about the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine? What do we really not know? Questions about the safety of the vaccine persist. Surf the Internet or flip through TV stations and you'll encounter a multitude of myths and a whole lot of hype. What are the facts? Straightforward answers follow these questions: *Is the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine safe? *Isn't the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine too new to trust? *Why should I believe what government scientists say about swine flu? *Does the H1N1 swine flu vaccine contain thimerosal? *The 1976 swine flu vaccine wasn't safe. Why should I trust this one? *Do we really know what drugmakers are putting in the swine flu vaccine? *Is the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine safe? No vaccine is 100% safe for everyone. People with allergies to eggs, for example, can't take flu vaccines because eggs are involved in the manufacturing process. And flu vaccines cause mild but common reactions. About one in three people get a sore arm from the shot, some with a little redness or even swelling. Some 10% to 15% of people feel tired or get a headache; some may even run a low fever. And vaccines can trigger rare but serious reactions, even among people with no apparent allergies or sensitivities. So if vaccines aren't 100% safe, why risk them? Approved vaccines -- including the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine -- are calculated to be much, much less risky than the diseases they prevent. For example, out of every million people who get a flu shot, one or two will get a serious neurological reaction called Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). But flu itself causes serious problems, including GBS, in far more than two in a million cases. And since a large proportion of the population will get swine flu, the vaccine risk is far smaller than the disease risk. In clinical trials, 10,000 to 15,000 children and adults have received various manufacturers' brands of H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Nothing serious happened to any of them, including this reporter, who received a double dose of the SanofiPasteur swine flu vaccine. That's still not proof that no harm will come from the vaccine. Clinical trials cannot detect something bad that happens to one or two out of every 100,000 people vaccinated. "There could be unknown side effects. Something could happen. But we think that is highly unlikely," says infectious disease and vaccine expert Mark Mulligan, MD, executive director of the Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta. "The CDC, FDA, HHS [Health and Human Services Department], the Department of Defense, and several large HMOs with great medical records are all collaborating in enhanced surveillance for this national 2009 H1N1 vaccine campaign," Mulligan tells WebMD. "If there is a signal for a rare or late adverse event, we will identify it as early and as quickly as we can." February 2010 Coming Events SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY Tuesday, February 2 February 7 is the day for the "Super Bowl" and it has become a tradition for us that we meet following worship to enjoy a super bowl of soup and also bring non-perishable food items to be given to Doorstep. The needs in our community have not gone away and Doorstep is always in need of food items to distribute. A free will donation will be received to cover the cost of the meal. Bring the non-perishable items and let's see what we can provide for those in need. 2 church staff links • Pastor Robert Roesler [email protected] • Christian Education Sarah Roesler [email protected] • Youth Coordinator Danny Goeckler [email protected] • Secretary ATTENTION LADIES American Baptist Women will meet on Thursday, February 11 at 9:30 am in the church parlor. Kathy Button will be the hostess and Jill Roesler is in charge of the program. We welcome anyone who would like to attend our meetings for friendship projects that serve others. We meet at 9:30 on the 2nd Thursday of the month. Donna White [email protected] board members • Tracy Bredow [email protected] • Jeff Conrad [email protected] • Danny Goeckler [email protected] • Elise Mooneyham • Donna Schulz [email protected] • Al West [email protected] Sunday, February 14 Monday, February 15 OPERATION SOUP LINE Join us for the annual Operation Soup Line, to benefit Doorstep, Inc. on Wednesday, February 24 from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Adults $8, children 5 and under are free and the meal includes: Chili, Vegetable Beef or Portuguese Green Soup, Dessert and Drink. There will be Local Celebrity servers and entertainment, with silent auction theme baskets. Delivery is available (within city limits) on orders of 10 or more, but you must preorder by February 19. You may mail completed order forms to 1119 SW 10th, 66604; call in your order to 357-5341, or fax completed order form to 232-4865. You can find blank order forms on the bulletin board. church officers • Moderator Bob Brown [email protected] • Clerk Kitty Miller [email protected] AMERICA FOR CHRIST The America for Christ Offering will be taken in March. • Financial Secretary Becky Miller [email protected] February 2010 Announcements 3 HAITI RELIEF CHILDREN’S CHURCH SCHEDULE THIS MONTH Feb 7 - Greg Kramer Feb 14 - Greg Kramer Feb 21 - Greg Kramer Feb 28 - Kathy Button If you have an event or article that you would like included in next month’s newsletter, the deadline will be Monday, February 22 at 9:00 am. Funds Report 2009 General Fund 130,009 Catch-Up Sunday 4,311 Bldg Use, Other 1,021 Total 138,236 Disbursements 140,647 Profit/Loss -2411 Bldg Repair Fund 898 Children/Youth 5000 Memorials 6,151 Total Designated 11,151 Bank Balance 7,888 Available Balance -3,263 Unpaid Obligations: NONE!!!! We have been seeing the devastation to a nation that was already the poorest in the western hemisphere. The vast majority of people live on $2 a day. If you would like to make a monetary gift to provide relief and assistance to the people of Haiti you can do so by designating that gift to the One Great Hour of Sharing; envelopes are provided in pew rack (Mission Offering Envelopes). All the money you give for this effort will go directly to the support through our American Baptist International Missions. We have seen and heard incredible stories of courage and faith. God has not abandoned the people of Haiti and is working through people across the world. Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. You may also mail donations to the church office, but please mark clearly with Haiti Relief. STATEMENTS BY EMAIL The software I use to track everyone’s gifts and tithes allows me to send your reports via email. I’m curious to know how folks feel about receiving their statements this way. Before I did use this, I’d research to make sure it was sent using a secure method. Please email me your thoughts and if you’d be willing to use this method in 2010. DOORSTEP VOLUNTEERS February is our month to provide volunteer help in the food and clothing bank at Doorstep. We will again pass around the sign-up sheet giving you an opportunity to provide help at a time that fits your schedule. Some of the time slots are filled but even if they are you may enjoy the experience and learn more about Doorstep by doubling up on any time you have to help. Thank you for volunteering. IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS We are in need of back-up Sunday School teachers to teach youth grades 7-12. If you are interested, please speak with Sarah or indicate such on the back of your Worship Registration. Thank you for giving of your time to our youth. It is an investment that everyone gains from! February 2010 Celebrating History 4 Every month, an article called “Celebrating Our Church History” will be in each newsletter. These are excerpts taken from the GPBC 50th Anniversary “Remembering the Past, Living the Present, Keys to the Future” GREETINGS AND CONGRATULATIONS ON 50 YEARS TO CELEBRATION I was active in the Gage Park Baptist congregation during a most turbulent period in American life, the 60’s and 70’s. Few remained unchanged as our morals of the time were challenged. For me, the period was one of considerable personal change as well: marriage, three employment moves, two sons, teaching, coaching, administering, leading and learning. The church received much of my energies (some misdirected, no doubt) yet, they were growth years, good ones. Gage Park Baptist also was growing. (How challenging and exciting it was to have the educational addition materialize.) Though disrupted at times, the congregation met the challenges of change and grew spiritually in social awareness and outreach, begged by the times. While I was ill prepared to move so fast as our pastoral leadership, it was a challenging and memorable period. Hopefully it is sufficient to acknowledge my memories of the overwhelming response of the congregation at times of my great need. Truly, one can get through such depths of life on the strength of caring friends and family. For me, God is close only through them; otherwise is too far away. I must mention my joys with the choirs and music, the challenges of teaching senior- and junior high-schoolers, enjoyable social events, and the blessedness of meaningful worship. Though the changes in pastoral ministry were times of examination and anxiety, they brought new thought and programming that embraced my soul. Thank you for the invitation to share my joy of having been a small part of your 50 years. I wish you well in the eternity before us. PEACE AND JOY Submitted by Ronald P. Smiley UPDATE ON ZACH ALEXANDER As some of you may have noticed on the prayer list, Stephanie Bales’ Boss’ son, Zach, is 9 years old and has been battling cancer much of his young life. His cancer is now in his spinal & brain fluid. He has had chemo many times, and it was thought to be in remission for awhile but has returned. Recently Zach went through a stem cell transplant. He will be coming home on February 10th and will continue some treatment at home and will just have to go back to Houston for two days after the treatment is done. He is eating solid food and walking around now too. There will be future fundraisers to help Zach’s parents defray the expense of the surgery and other medical costs. Please watch newsletter for more info. February 2010 A Look Ahead March 5-Friday 7-Sunday, 12:00 pm 11-Thursday, 9:30 am 14-Sunday, 2:00 am 15-Monday, 7:00 pm 17-Wednesday 20-Saturday, 9:00 am 28-Sunday World Day of Prayer Church Relations Team meeting ABW meet in church parlor Daylight Savings begins, set clocks back Executive Board meeting St. Patrick’s Day Needlebees meet, 1st Day of Spring Palm Sunday April 1-Thursday 4-Sunday 8-Thursday, 9:30 am 11-Sunday, 12:00 pm 17-Saturday, 9:00 am 19-Monday, 7:00 pm 28-Wednesday Maundy Thursday Easter ABW meet in church parlor Church Relations Team meeting Needlebees meet Executive Board meeting, Secretaries’ Day May 2-8-Monday thru Friday 2-Sunday, 12:00 pm 6-Thursday 9-Sunday 13-Thursday, 9:30 am 15-Saturday. 9:00 am 17-Monday, 7:00 pm 23-Sunday 31-Monday National Family Week Church Relations Team meeting National Day of Prayer Mother’s Day ABW meets Needlebees meet Executive Board meeting Pentecost Memorial Day—Office Closed 5